This is the place.

The security here was top notch, and I'd had a hard time making it through the front gate. Sneaking was plan C, but when both A and B failed, it left me with this option. This garden seemed to be a good place to be "caught". When footsteps came near, I clasped my hands behind my back, leaning down to smell a flower. "Wow! This garden is amazing!"

"I think so too. The flowers smell sweet, don't they?" A soft voice came from behind me.

I whirled around, feigning surprise. "Oh!"

The boy had white hair with pink tips and mint green eyes. He laughed at my surprised look. "I'm sorry, did I startle you? I've not seen you around here. My name is Ray." He flashed me a smile.

"I-I'm Mikuru… Mikuru Kaneko," I replied.

Someone came running towards us. It was one of the members that I'd ran into when I tried to get in the first time. He was out of breath but he glared daggers at me. "You! How the hell did you get in here? I thought I made it clear to not come back!" He seized my arm tightly. "Apologies Mr. Ray. This miscreant isn't a member."

"Ouch! You're hurting me!" I cried, forcing tears to my eyes. I threw a pleading look at Ray. "I just… I heard good things about this place… and I…" Dropping my gaze to the ground, I sniffed. Taking a shaky deep breath, I paused to make sure my story came out right. "I escaped my alcoholic dad just to try to get… here…" Through my teary eyes, I made eye contact with Ray again.

The man holding me relaxed only slightly, giving the edge to pull free from his grasp. "Hey!"

Stumbling forward, I held onto Ray's jacket, pressing my forehead against his chest. "Please don't make me go back there! I-I-I don't want to be hurt anymore!" I cried harder. "Please! Please save me!" That phrase should convince him. From all the intel I'd been given about this place, it was all about saving the lost and broken.

"No wait," Ray said, batting away the man who tried to grab me again. There was silence for a moment, and then his arms wrapped protectively around me. One of his hands petted my head. "Mikuru." His voice was soft… soothing. "Our believers don't normally break into our building. That isn't a good first impression."

I tilted my head back to look up at him. "I-I'm sorry."

His lips curled up into a smile. "Tell you what. Put your life in my hands. If you can do that, I'll bring you to the savior and prepare your entrance ceremony. Can you do that?"

Put my life in his hands? That's what he wants from me? Easy enough. "Your hands seem much nicer than my father's. What do I need to do? I'll be a model girl for you," I said, forcing a small smile. Seems like Plan C worked out much better for me than I'd initially thought it would.

Ray released me and took my hand in his. "Leave Mikuru with me. I'll explain everything to the savior this evening. In the meantime, prepare a room on the second floor." His mint eyes dropped to my gold ones. "As for you, until the room is properly prepared, I'll keep you in my own room. "

His room? My eyes went wide and I blushed. "O-okay." Even better. Gives me a good idea of how he functions. Though, I know that he has another side to him, one that would be much more fun to play with if I can coerce him out. In my small purse, I had everything I could possibly need to work that side out.

"Mr. Ray, there are no rooms available at the moment," The believer said.

He cocked his head to the side. "Oh? Well then, inform me immediately if one opens. It seems we will be roommates for a little while." Ray pulled me in front of him, covering my eyes with one of his hands. "Do you trust me?"

That's a trick question. If I say no, who knows how he'll react. And if I say yes, then he'll probably doubt my authenticity. Clenching my hands together and shifting on my feet, I replied, "I want to, but I'm scared."

His lips pressed against my ear, and he quietly said, "I'll teach you how to let go of that fear in time." It sent a shiver down my spine to have his warm breath on my ear. His free hand settled on my waist, guiding me forward. "There's a step here."

With his instructions, we made it slowly through the building. Even with my eyes closed, I memorized how to get out of the building the way we'd entered. Losing one of my senses had never been a hindrance in my skill set. The scent of flowers filled my nose again. This boy must really like them. Noted.

A door closed behind us, and Ray removed his hand. "Welcome to my room! Or, our room for the time being. Are you hungry? I can make you some dinner." His warm smile had returned. He wanted to make me happy. That much was clear.

I clapped my hands together. "Oh, that would be great! I didn't get to eat much at home. I mean, if it isn't too much trouble."

Ray nodded his head. "Not at all. I won't be long, okay?" With that, he exited the room and locked the door.

There are worse places to be trapped in.

Pulling my cell phone out of my bag, I dialed the memorized number. The ringing in my ear irritated me. "Come on. Pick up." Hiding in the corner of the room furthest from the window, I paced in a small circle. He literally does nothing but babysit one of our best hackers. One that rivals my own skills.

Just before his voicemail, Vanderwood answered, "Who the hell is this?"

"I'm glad you remember me, Vandy. Listen, I'm on a mission right now, and I need a favor from our favorite red-head hacker," I said, laughing a little. He and Agent 707 don't get along so well because of their personality quirks.

Vanderwood took his turn to laugh. "You? Need help from Agent 707? That doesn't sound anything like you, Mikuru." His voice faded away. It was muffled, but I heard him arguing. "No! You can't talk to her. Hey!"

"Mi-ku!" Seven sang my name.

"I don't have a lot of time, or I'd play around for a few minutes with you. Here in a few days, I'm going to send you some information that I'll need you to decrypt and relay its contents to me. I won't have real access to a computer here. Can I entrust that to you?" I asked.

Seven hummed for a second, as if really contemplating his answer. "Of course, I'll help you out, Miku-Miku! If you promise to come by and see me one day. It's a shame we must live in hiding in our line of work! We could all hang out. Me, you, Mary Vanderwood. It would be romantic!"

I laughed at his nickname for Vanderwood. Though Seven and I had never met, we considered each other friends. We'd been pitted against each other for our hacking skills, but it turned out that he didn't care for outdoing me. I found his methods intriguing and his personality endearing. "I'll consider it. Put Vandy back on, please."

A little shuffling and Vanderwood breathed a heavy sigh. "Mikuru, are you safe?"

That's a funny question for him to ask. "I'll check in with you once a day. If you need me, I'm sure Seven could break my algorithm and find my location in under a day. And, no, I'm never safe when I'm on a job. That's why I take these jobs. You know I live for the thrill of danger."

"Then I'll assume your panic word is still the same as always?"

I grinned. He's a little worried, isn't he? "Of course. I'll check in tomorrow." Hanging up, I wiped my phone clean of the call. Blowing air out of mouth, I sat down on the bed. No time for snooping. It's too early to wrap up this mission. I'd like to enjoy my time with this interesting boy.

The door opened, and Ray pushed in a cart with two plates of food and two cups of water. "Sorry for making you wait, princess. I hope you'll forgive me. I made this for myself," Ray said with a smile.

I stood up and bowed slightly. "No, no! It looks amazing!" I sat down at the little table over by the window, while he sat the plates down. He took only a moment to roll the cart back out into the hallway, giving me mere seconds to drop a small pill into his cup. That ought to be enough to start the real mission.

Ray conversated with my lightly, asking about how I found out about Mint Eye and why I came all the way here. Meanwhile, I answered with vague replies and watched him drink the water. Slowly, as time passed, it seemed to take an effect on him. "Are you okay?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. "Saeran?" The name passed my lips and his head snapped up, the other one taking control of the body.

"Now where did you hear that name, princess," Saeran said, scooting his chair back loudly. It scraped the floor slowly as he rose, seemingly a little taller than Ray.

I smirked, shrugging my shoulders. "Someone told me to try it out. They said that Saeran was much more fun than Ray is." Winking, I stood to my feet, too. Every time he got closer, I moved a little further away. "What's the matter? Did I make you mad?"

Saeran laughed, pointing a finger at me. "You're entertaining, you know that? But you can only run from me for so long. And here you told Ray that you'd be a good girl for him."

"You're not Ray, right? So maybe I'll be bad for you," I replied, twirling around once. Playing this role had just become interesting. This personality… he felt dangerous. He could really hurt me, if I let him. This would be a slippery slope.

He shrugged off the long jacket and stretched his arms over his head. A spark of fire burned in his eyes. "Is that right?" He started after me again, thinking about cornering me near the bed. This boy had a plan.

I turned to jump up on the bed, taking my eyes off him for a single second. He was quick. His arm hooked around my waist, hauling me back into his chest. His iron grip on me didn't loosen even as he laughed. "Not fair, I wasn't ready to give in just yet," I said, pretending to pout.

"Would you have ever given in unless I caught you?"

"Probably not."

Saeran held me tight, dropping his head to bite my ear. My body jerked at the pain and pleasure it sent through me. He chuckled, pleased with my reaction. "So, how shall I punish my bad princess?"

~~~~~~~~A/N~~~~~

I have an announcement! I have opened a p.a.t.r.e.o.n account for my fanfiction! So please go check it out and if you are so inclined, pledge and get some extra content!

For December, there will be a Christmas Special for: The Little Vampire, Journey of a Lifetime, and four others (You all get to vote for three of them!) from the month 1 update list! These are exclusive to p.a.t.r.e.o.n. until next December!

The creator name is bekahjoy

This idea behind this decision comes from my want to create these fanfictions for my readers. This is not, by any means, a place where I will demand to be supported financially or I won't ever update again. This is more of a boost for me to get some stress down from the financial side of my life. I currently work 40 hours a week with 9 two-year old's, and let me tell you, it's draining, and the pay isn't that great. Opening this account was a hard decision for me, because I didn't want it to come across the wrong way.

The way I plan for this to work, is there are varying levels of what each donation per month will give you, but the summary of all those is this:

*Supporters will get first access to the chapter, that will be updated on my regular platform the following month, as soon as it is completed. The more that is donated the more perks you will receive from me! For example: Special Episodes, or one-shots created from your own ideas and wants!